Navigo pass

Navigo pass
Navigo-only turnstile
Navigo validator in buses and trams
Vélib''s card reader

The Navigo pass or Passe Navigo is a means of payment for public transportation introduced in the Île-de-France region (whose capital is the city of Paris) introduced in 2001. It is implemented as a smart card using the Calypso standard, and enables authenticated access at turnstiles by passing the card near an electronic reader.

The pass is available either attached to an account for residents of the Île-de-France (known simply as Passe Navigo), or can be issued on the spot to anybody at a station (Passe Navigo Découverte). While the account based passes are free, a Découverte pass costs 5 at ticket booths. The passes can be credited at ticket booths and machines for weekly, monthly or annual use — unlike comparable cards issued in other major cities, there is no facility to add a certain amount of credit to the card for use on irregular journeys over a period of time.

Navigo passes can be used on the vehicles of the RATP, the SNCF (within the Transilien network), Optile, and companies under the aegis of the Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF), as well as with the new Vélib' bicycle rental system.

Cards either bear a photograph of the holder or must be accompanied by a photo ID card.

History

When the system was introduced in 2001, it was only available to subscribers of the carte Intégrale annual pass; in 2003 it was increased to users of the carte Imagine'R student pass; and from 2005 the Navigo pass was available for travel within zones one and two of the Paris transportation region for Carte orange weekly and monthly passes. Since mid-May 2006, it has been possible to use the Navigo pass in the entirety of the Île-de-France region in place of the paper tickets of the conventional Carte orange, which was completely discontinued in February 2009. Single-trip paper tickets are still available from station agents and ticket vending machines and are accepted in all stations and buses, though busier Métro and RER stations will usually have one or two turnstiles set aside for Navigo card holders exclusively.

See also

External links